In Memory of LuAnne Dean

Mrs. LuAnne Smith Dean, age 80, of Texarkana, Arkansas, died Friday, March 15, 2013, in a local hospital.

Mrs. Dean was born August 2, 1932, in Gretna, Louisiana, and had lived most of her life in Texarkana. She was a Homemaker and an avid politician. She was a member of the National, State, and Local Democratic Party, where she had served in many positions, including President of the local Democratic Committee. She was also a past member of the Domestic Violence Prevention where she had been President of the Board of Directors.

Mrs. Dean was on the Central Committee for more than 40 years and was instrumental in the election of many of today's elected officials. She was a colorful figure with a quick wit.

She will be missed greatly.


She was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Emily Franks.

Survivors include her husband, Sam Dean of Texarkana, Arkansas, one daughter and son-in-law, Tracey and Ben Franks of Simms, Texas, one son and daughter-in-law, E. H. and Lenny Rose Dean of Shreveport, Louisiana, three brothers, Bobby Smith of Victoria, Texas, Phil Smith and David Smith of Texarkana, Arkansas, one grandchild, two great-grandchildren, and special friend and caregiver, Kathleen Holybee.

Memorial Services and Visitation will be at 4:00 P.M. Thursday at the Texarkana Funeral Home Arkansas Chapel. Private burial will be at Rondo Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to: Domestic Violence Prevention, P. O. Box 712, Texarkana, AR/TX 75504.

President Clinton turns out to support Senator Mark Pryor

The Miller County Democratic Party turned out to support U. S. Senator Mark Pryor's bid for re-election in 2014 at a fundraising event in Little Rock highlighted by Former President Bill Clinton, Governor Mike Beebe and former Governor and Senator David Pryor.

Senator Mark Pryor understandably faces ongoing assault from the Republican party and "shell" organizations such as the conservative Club for Growth which have optimistic names cloaking hidden dangerous agendas.  Even without an announced Republican candidate, it is clear that the Republican party intends to focus much of it's energy (and money) on defeating Sen. Mark Pryor in an effort to win control of the Senate next year.

Using the charisma and common sense manner of speech that helped elect him as Arkansas Governor and propel him into two terms as President, President Clinton addressed the enthusiastic crowd at the State House Convention Center stating the following about Sen. Mark Pryor, "the reason this is a race of national sign is because it's about whether a senator who cares about his own people more than ideological purity can be financed, elected, lifted by the people he has served in the face of all these crazy currents that are taking America and tearing it to shreds".  If the million dollars raised that night and the electric current pulsing through the room are any indication, the Republican Party is going to find a formidable opponent in Senator Pryor and his voting record.

For more information on how to get involved in Senator Pryor's bid to maintain some balance for our party in the U. S. Senate contact his reelection office at 501-353-1116.

Get Involved...

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Today, more than ever, the political environment for us Democrats begs for involvement.  Feedback and brainstorming are strong factors in moving our organization and the core values that we perceive as valuable forward.  Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses in any organization leads to better achievement of our common goals.  

Each individual is vital to our party and the process is ongoing, not just limited to our election years.  The non election years can be a time of reflection and growth, allowing our party to make long range goals and strategic plans without the fury and frenzy of campaigning taking up the majority of time.  None of those items can be achieved without the involvement of Democrats on the county and state level.

In addition, there is comfort in sharing an intelligent conversation with like minded people to help combat some of the strong growing negativity we hear from the media and colleagues who do not share our same values. 

The local Miller County Democratic Committee is an EXCELLENT channel to help move our party forward.  Start local.  Email millercountydems@yahoo.com for more information on how you can become a vital part of moving the Arkansas Democratic Party forward.


And move to the State level by checking out the State Democratic Party website at the following link:  http://arkdems.org/

Legislative Update from Rep. Fonda Hawthorne

Our local organization received a much needed and valuable update from neighboring District 4 State Representative Fonda Hawthorne last night.  Rep. Hawthorne's freshman year in the Arkansas House has been particularly busy with a total of 2492 bills presented as of the close of the filing deadline.  Health Insurance Exchange, the Medicaid Expansion Plan, the Transportation Bill and Voter ID reform were among some of key issues Rep. Hawthorne highlighted for us last night.

We need your help and support focusing the attention of ALL of our State General Assembly members on these issues which  will have deep-reaching, long-term ramifications for EVERY Arkansas resident.  With the complexities involved in these key issues, expect bills to be introduced,  to go away, then be tweaked and resurface. Stay on top of our elected officials and voice your concerns and desires so that we may all have an input in these matters that will shape a broad spectrum of components in our state.  You can research the bills filed at the following link

Search Bills Filed

Of particular interest, is proposed Voter ID Reform which could severely impact the voting rights of our party members.  Be VOCAL in fighting for any reform which may infringe upon the constitutional rights of voters.  The ACLU has an article from 2012 when Voter ID Reform began to become a hot issue in various states which explains how many types of Voter ID reform could "disenfranchise millions of eligible voters without any legitimate justification"

ACLU article on Voter Suppression

Rep. Hawthorne to give legislative update tonight!

State Rep. Fonda Hawthorne to be our guest speaker at our March 12 meeting of the Miller County Democratic Central Committee.The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be in the third floor courtroom of the Miller County Courthouse.
The meeting is open to the public.
Hawthorne, D-4, whose district includes primarily Little River County, will be speaking on the current legislative issues in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
She is in her first term in office and has been exemplary in her duties as a freshman legislator. Hawthorne is an enconomic development director and has brought that expertise to Arkansas' House.
She has a blog at www.fondahawthorne.com

going backwards, and backwards and backwards!

Voter ID Legislative Update

From: Arkansas Coalition for Protecting the Right to Vote

If you were not aware, voter I.D. passed out of State Agencies
committee a few minutes ago with a 13-6-1 vote. One Democrat
abstained. You'll be notified who that was as soon as I know.

Going forward, we are doing a great job of pressuring Dems and many of
the fence sitters have been pushed to vote our way because of our
efforts. Keep it up. Use the Facebook graphics with the legislators
and their contact info and refer to the talking points we have made
available.

Republicans to pressure going forward:
Baird, Hobbs, Bragg, Hickerson, Kerr, Shepherd, and Carter.

Do not stop. We have only a few more days and we all need to make our
final push. Call in the afternoons/evenings and during the lunch hour.
Make sure as you have people calling that they are doing so at the
best and most likely times to be heard so as to be effective as
possible. Write letters, send emails, tweet, facebook post, call call
call to stop Voter i.d.
Thank you all for your work
History has already taught us the intent of laws that suppress ones
ability to vote.

-Ezra
Austin Ross, Ezra Smith, & Aaron Gibson
Arkansas Coalition for Protecting the Right to Vote

Sheriff Stovall Proving to be a Progressive Sheriff

reprinted from the March 5 Texarkana Gazette

County gets Smart911 service

Public can create medical profile online; area among first users in U.S.

By Lareign Ward ,Texarkana Gazette

Miller County Sheriff’s Office recently activated the Smart911 service that allows residents to create a profile to assist emergency responders.
Last year, Arkansas announced plans to become the first state to offer the Smart911 service to all its residents, and MCSO is one of the first agencies in the Natural State to get the service up and running, said Vanessa Schaeffer, communications supervisor for the sheriff’s office.
“I just think the most important part of it is we can know your medical information right off,” Schaeffer said Monday. “We can alert the responding paramedics, the hospital (about) what we’ve got going on before they ever get there.”
The 50,000-plus residents of Miller County can now create a profile by going online to smart911.com. From that Website, they can input their address, medical conditions, allergies, disabilities and more. Schaeffer said they can even post photos of themselves and family members, including pets who would need to be rescued if there’s a fire.
More than one number can be connected to an address, too. Schaeffer said if anyone from her household calls 911 in an area with active Smart911 service, profiles for her, her husband and their three daughters would be accessible to emergency personnel.
Smart911 allows people to include directions to their residence in their profile, which Schaeffer said is especially helpful in an age where more people are dropping landline service and using cellphones only.
“Cellphones, when they call 911, it shows up as a tower, so I have to spend 15 to 20 minutes tracing you to find out where you are if you need help and you can’t tell me that you’re at home,” Schaeffer said.
“If you’re not at home, I still have to trace you, but I still will have all your medical information, emergency contact information, that sort of thing.”
Schaeffer said Smart911 includes a text message feature for certain emergencies.
“Say someone was in your home (and) you couldn’t talk to me,” she said. “Once you call, we can text message back and forth (or) another person can text with emergency services. We prefer to be able to communicate with you verbally, (but) we do have that option for anybody that can’t.”
The database is secure and not available to the general public, Schaeffer said.
“The only person that ever sees this information is the 911 dipsatcher if you call in,” she said. “It’s not a searchable site.”

Rep. Hawthorne to Speak at March 12 meeting

State Rep. Fonda Hawthorne to be our guest speaker at our March 12 meeting of the Miller County Democrat Central Committee.The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be in the third floor courtroom of the Miller County Courthouse.
The meeting is open to the public.
Hawthorne, D-4, whose district includes primarily  Little River County, will be speaking on the current legislative issues in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
She is in her first term in office and has been exemplary in her duties as a freshman legislator. Hawthorne is an enconomic development director and has brought that expertise to Arkansas' House.
She has a blog at www.fondahawthorne.com

Arkansas Times: Ethics "reform" A --- Arkansas Style

.... from the Arkansas Times and Max Brandtley

Sunday, March 3, 2013 - 21:39:41

Ethics "reform" — Arkansas Republican style

Max erupting from a volcanic atoll on the South Island of New Zealand:
E-mail arrives from Republican Sen. David Sanders of Little Rock, touting a couple of pieces of so-called ethics legislation. One bill tightens up a law that I believe already requires itemized reporting on expenditures by ballot issue committees, not just the payments to turn-key consulting firms, as has been the recent practice favored by chamber of commerce front groups. Buit if a law is required for transparency, well, thanks to Sens. Sanders and Jane English and others for following through.
No thanks for Sanders' other legislation, which specifies that use of campaign money to attend a national political convention is not a personal use of campaign money. Only a Republican would term an expanasion of how campaign money may be used for personal entertainment, travel, drinks and networking with pals as "ethics reform."
This is just wrong. It's incumbent-friendly legislation and a way for candidates to shake a tin cup at the usual fat cats to get travel money that the law otherwise would prohibit a special interest from providing. If a candidate wants to attend a political convention, let the candidate pay his or her own way. Seems simple.
This legislation should be easily defeatable. It requires a super majority vote because it amends (and weakens) a voter initiated ethics law. Democrats are in the minority, but their numbers are sufficient to beat this bad bill. Unless they want to get in on the boodling, too, which many no doubt do.
Sanders would be more convincing as an ethics reformer if the Senate had first expeditiously moved on Sen. Bruce Maloch's bill to end fake fund-raising luncheons at which incumbent, generally unopposed legislators give campaign surplus to other pals in the legislature in expectation of future thank-yous. Republicans made an art form of this in 2012, though Democrats, too, have engaged in the practice. Fixing this practice would be true ethics reform. Passing a law expanding private capitalization on campaign contributions is not.
ALSO: How about some Republicans get behind another good idea — the end of multiple political contributions from essentially the same person. See how Jim Lindsey gives to his favored candidates in the name of many different LLCs he controls. Senator Sanders? Senator Key? Representative Carter? Anybody?

All 4 Rep. Congressmen vote against the Violece Against Women Act

News

Arkansas Republican Congressman Vote Against Violence Against Women Act

March 1, 2013

NEWS RELEASE

Congressman Griffin, Cotton, Crawford and Womack Vote Against Violence Against Women Act

(LITTLE ROCK) – In a shameful display of extremist politics, yesterday, all four of Arkansas Congressional Republicans – Congressman Griffin, Congressman Cotton, Congressman Womack and Congressman Crawford – all voted against the Violence Against Women Act which protects women, families and children from violent crimes, domestic abuse and rape.

STATEMENT FROM CANDACE MARTIN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ARKANSAS SPOKESWOMAN:

“By voting today against the Violence Against Women Act, Congressmen Griffin, Cotton, Crawford and Womack have shown the people of Arkansas that they value the broken, extreme politics of Washington over the protecting our mothers, sisters and daughters. This was a shameful vote by Arkansas’s Republican Congressional delegation, and it underscores that Congressman Griffin, Cotton, Crawford and Womack are simply looking for the people of Arkansas and Washington. Any congressman who would vote against protecting Arkansas’ women from violence and rape simply does not share our values.”

BACKGROUND

Congressman Griffin, Cotton, Womack and Crawford all voted against the Violence Against Women Act. [S. 47, Vote #55, 2/28/13]

The Violence Against Women Act provides resources to protect women everywhere from domestic violence and sexual assault. The measure passed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate. [S. 47, Vote #19, 2/12/13]

Wonderful State Committee Meeting

We had a wonderful state committee meeting with a large delegation of Arkansas Democrats in Hot Springs on Feb. 23.
We met in the beautiful Arlington Hotel's ballroom and had some frank discussion about what our party needs to do to solify our voters' trust.
We elected some new party officers, too!
Our State Officers for the 2013-2015 are:
Chairman Will Bond (2nd term)
1st Vice Chair: Joyce Elliott
2nd Vice Chair Janet Johnson
Secretary: Steve Johnson
Treasurer: Karen Garcia (2nd or more term)

New Committee Members

Congratulations to our newest committee members:

T.O. Hardin

Charles Scott

Velvet Cool

 

We know you will do well!

Thank you to our Miller County Democrats serving in Office

for 2013-2015

Sheriff Ron Stovall
County Clerk Ann Nicholas
Circuit Clerk Mary Panky
County Assessor Mary Stuart
County Collector Melissa Barns

Justice of the Peace William Green
Justice of the Peace Jimmy Hickey Sr.
Justice of the Peace Joe Gillenwater
Justice of the Peace Thornton Mitchell
Justice of the Peace Haze Hudson
Justice of the Peace Charles Nettles
Justice of the Peace John Wilson

Constable Thomas Harness
Constable Walter Winchell
Constable Bobby Forte
Constable Charles Walthall
Constable Edward Akins
Constable Joyce Adams
Constable Art Parris

New Party Officers

Congratulations!

The 2013-2015 Party Officers

 

Lisa Bose McDermott, Chairwoman

Brandon Cogburn, Vice Chairman

Ermer Pondexter, Treasurer

Vickie Lacy, Secretary

 

Rick Hall, State Committee Man

Ermer Pondexter, State Committee Woman

 

Elizabeth Hicks, Miller County Election Commissioner (2nd Term)

Brandon Cogburn, Miller County Election Commissioner (1st Term)

Continuing to watch Arkansas Leg

We are continuing to watch the Arkansas General Assembly with awe and shame. It is taking our state backward in ways that we could never have imagined.
The idea to create two school systems: one for public schools and a second one for Charter Schools (taxpayer funded private schools). The former has guidelines that has helped Arkansas become No. 5 in the nation, the latter will drive us back to old No. 49.
It is truly a sad day in Arkansas.